Former NYPD officer Katrina Brownlee slammed former New York Mayor Bill de Blasio in a newly released memoir, “And Then Came the Blues,” according to a Tuesday report.
Brownlee also wrote about her backstory, including allegations that her ex-fiancé shot at her 10 times, the New York Post reported. Brownlee later joined the force, where she climbed the ranks and retired in 2021 as a first-grade detective, according to the New York Post.
Although Brownlee’s memoir detailed her life-story, she reportedly spent a large portion of it unpacking her relationship with de Blasio and shared details regarding the former mayor’s attitude toward the NYPD.
Brownlee reportedly claimed that although she was never directly disrespected, “[Bill de Blasio] was so insecure about his own status that he couldn’t stand the thought of anyone else around him having power.”
Brownlee, who served on de Blasio’s security detail, said she struggled to “reconcile … de Blasio the man versus de Blasio the mayor,” according to the New York Post.
She claimed in her memoir that he was a “genuinely caring person” in private, but insecure and selfish in public, the report stated.
Additionally, she wrote that de Blasio’s office was full of “white millennials” who lacked respect for the mayor, according to the outlet. She also reportedly slammed de Blasio for not appreciating being granted a second term as mayor.
Brownlee reportedly wrote that although she did not approve of the staffers’ “nasty comments,” she did not feel sorry for de Blasio.
“He was incapable of managing his staff in a way that encouraged their growth or advancement and wasn’t remotely interested in creating new leaders,” her memoir stated, according to the New York Post.
“This pattern was evident at every level of his administration, and especially at the token holiday party he threw every year as a half-assed gesture of gratitude for the security detail,” Brownlee stated. “He would make a speech about how important we were and thank us for all we did for him, but the very next day he wouldn’t even say good morning.”
Brownlee alleged that she was abruptly removed from serving on first lady Chirlane McCray’s security detail, according to the outlet. The commanding officer reportedly told her that McCray disliked Brownlee.
“‘She doesn’t like you. It is what it is. If you don’t like it, you can leave,’” the officer stated, according to the outlet.
“Chirlane was a fraud to her core,” Brownlee said.
“I was angry for months at myself and at the other New Yorkers who put Bill and Chirlane in office, because I felt like the whole city had been tricked,” she wrote, according to the New York Post.
Brownlee shared that she “was able to see some humanity in the mayor” after they were able to discuss her annual Christmas party while shopping together. She said de Blasio gave her every Christmas off after that conversation, the outlet reported.
“I realized he could be a genuinely caring person, someone I wouldn’t mind going out for wine with when I retired,” Brownlee said.
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